Talk:Flexaret VII

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This is the discussion page for Flexaret VII. Click here to start a new topic.


Discussion pages are for discussing improvements to the article itself, not for discussions about the subject of the article.


First person remarks

Change my first person remarks in "lens and focus".--driesvandenelzen 11:20, 26 August 2006 (EDT)

Why don't you create a user review in your user space, like this: User:Driesvandenelzen1/Flexaret automat VII, that you would link from this page? --Rebollo fr 11:39, 26 August 2006 (EDT)

Full name

I wonder if there is a particular reason to write "automat" in lowercase only, not "Automat". The fact that it is writeen "automat" on the camera itself is no reason: the camera is also written "flexaret", but we're writing "Flexaret". I suggest to change the title accordingly.

However, before settling for a new title, we need to know if the camera was called "Flexaret VII Automat" or "Flexaret Automat VII" by the company.

--Rebollo fr 11:22, 8 September 2006 (EDT)

Actually, I was hesitant to put in the word 'automat' at all. It was on the name plate and that's why I put it in the title. I've never heard it called anything but Flexaret VII. The company website refers to it as Flexaret VII and so did the camera salesmen in Prague (Jan Pazdera and the people at FotoSkoda, both shops in Vodickova street). My edition (10th) of McKeown does not mention the VI or the VII. Ebay sellers who regularly offer Flexaret VII items, like Gold Camera in Prague and Cupog in Slovakia, systematically write Flexaret VII. The sub name automat is used for another camera, the Flexaret VI as well, to add to the confusion. To sum up, If we're going to change the name, let's rename it Flexaret VII. --driesvandenelzen 14:02, 8 September 2006 (EDT)
In the 12th edition of McKeown, the VI and VII are called "Flexaret VI Automat" and "Flexaret VII Automat". Since my last post, I also checked in a leaflet by Patrice-Hervé Pont about the Flexaret, and the VI and VII are called the same as in McKeown. I don't know if these sources are based on original documents. So we can decide for "Flexaret VII" or "Flexaret VII Automat", please choose the one you like best. Maybe we will have to change again later, for example after finding a original user manual. --Rebollo fr 16:11, 8 September 2006 (EDT)
Good idea. I remember having seen an original manual in Spanish. It was freely distributed by an american-owned business called Praha Camera. They've gone out of business. I'll see if I can find it again.--driesvandenelzen 17:41, 8 September 2006 (EDT)

On the Italian Ebay site, an original user manual is on auction for a Flexaret VI. The manual title is just "Flexaret VI" even though this camera has "automatic" on the front plate as well. That settles it, I guess.--driesvandenelzen 08:05, 10 September 2006 (EDT)

It seems so. I'll move the page to "Flexaret VII". If we find some contradictory evidence later, we'll change again. --Rebollo fr 11:57, 10 September 2006 (EDT)

Introduction

In the introduction it states: "The Flexaret VII is the last in a series of TLR cameras made by Meopta (and its predecessors)in the former Czechoslovakia. It's a fully mechanical camera with an all-metal body. It has a solid feel to it and has lots of features not normally found on TLR cameras.

For example: you can set the light value on a mechanical ring. This sets a series combinations of shutter speeds and diaphragms. When you decide you need to stop down the lens a little more, there's no need to choose the shutterspeed any more. So far, the only time I've encountered this feature was on a Hasselblad lens."

In fact several later Rolleicord and Rolleiflex models from 1954 (at the latest) onwards have the EVS or Exposure Value System. Wikipedia (Wikipedia: Exposure Value System) states the system was developed in Germany in the 1950's. This makes it very likely that Franke And Heidecke was the first company to introduce it on a TLR and possibly even the company that developed it. As far as I can see the Flexaret VII is the only Flexaret with the EVS system and was made from the middle of the 60's which makes the inclusion of this feature on the VII much later than on the Franke And Heidecke TLR's. This makes it very likely Meopta just copied it from the competing Rollei models. --Agnostic 04:39, 2 March 2010 (EST)

You are right, thank you for having reformulated the introduction. Someone used the first person when writing the page, and this went unnoticed. Many other cameras have this mechanical coupling between the speed and aperture rings; I think that the system was invented by Deckel (manufacturer of the Compur shutter) but I'm not sure. --rebollo_fr 09:55, 6 March 2010 (EST)